Works by John Sell Cotman

In this exhibition for the first time oil paintings, watercolours and drawings were shown together so as to give a comprehensive view of the work of John Sell Cotman.

The watercolours were arranged for the most part chronologically, beginning with the earliest on the long west wall.

The Committee had endeavoured to represent his earlier work before 1820 and his work in monochrome as fully as possible.

Some of the Cotman watercolours and drawings belong to the British Museum (from the Reeve Collection) weren’t available for loan, but they were shown in the Exhibition Gallery of the Print Room during the period of the exhibition.